Discuss the types of grain ingredients used in the pancakes. Tell students that grain has long been important in peoples diets. Show students examples of different types of wheat from the CyberSpace Farm (www.cyberspaceag.com/kansascrops/wheat/wheatclasses.htm).

Ask the class to think of what the pancake and the dance might have in common. Watch the dance Weevily Wheat. The two things they have in common is the circular shape and the wheat or barley.

Talk about shape and the way circles are important in many social dances. If time allows, practice some social dances that use a circle, such as The Hokey Pokey, The Farmer in the Dell, and Ring Around the Rosie.

Day 2

Play music and experiment with the shape of the circle in dance. Have students stand in a circle and hold hands. Give students various instructions to follow for eight counts each. Have students count aloud to 8 after each dance instruction.

Some sample instructions:

Walk forward to make a smaller circle.

Step to the right to turn the circle. (Teacher should point.)

Step to the left to turn the circle the other way.

Walk backward.

Drop hands and spin around.

Practice the dance until students can remember without your verbal instructions.

Once the pattern is learned, allow students to take turns changing or adding elements to the routine to make new dances.

Day 3

Tell the folktale of The Little Red Hen. (Choose a book from the library, or use the handout.) Discuss the steps necessary in making bread from wheat; e.g., planting, growing, harvesting, milling, mixing, and baking. Discuss how at one time many people went through these steps to get bread. Use the web resources listed in the Support section to show how grain is grown and harvested today.

Use the handout The Little Red Hen to read as a class script. Have the students sit in a circle. Read the story through 2-3 times with different students playing the roles.

Day 4

Discuss dance as a form of storytelling. Ask the students to consider how they could turn the story of the Little Red Hen into a dance.

Read the script again. Discuss how motions and music could help tell the story. Talk about dancing for different purposes. Talk about the dance as a social or recreational dance.

Using classroom instruments to keep a steady beat, direct students to create a rhythm that dancers can follow. Alternate selecting different students to play the roles in the story. The narrators part could still be read while the other parts are danced. Work toward creating an atmosphere where students respect others efforts and feel free to be expressive.